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| When 2023 has kicked your arse, but you are determined to be optimistic about the New Year... |
It's hard to believe a new year is beginning, but here we are. The holidays were pretty uneventful here, for which I'm grateful. Anyway - here's January's list! We've got some cool cover songs, a few returning faves, and the usual mix of pop, rock and disco! Enjoy! To listen on Spotify, click HERE.
1. Beautiful Stranger (the Dip) - Madonna gets the Memphis soul treatment!
2. Life Goes By (Almost Monday) - This San Diego Indie band never disappoints when serving up some high-energy alt-rock! See also 2023's March and April playlists.
3. Sweet Is the Night (Juliana Hatfield) - I think one of the things I've enjoyed most about Juliana's ELO cover album is discovering the ELO songs I missed the first time around. Case in point!
4. Ray-Bans (Dagny) - Another artist who's been on previous playlists returns and reminds me why I love this Norwegian singer/songwriter!
5. Get Me Started (Troye Sivan) - Young pop star shows no signs of slowing down with his latest album!
6. Gold (Austin Millz & Aluna) - Mitch turned me on to this! Harlem dance music artist teams up with Welsh singer for this glittery ditty!
7. Children /What Time It Is/ (Billy Porter feat. Lady Blackbird) - Whoa. Two powerhouse vocalists get together for some uplifting gospel! Brings to mind great diva collaborations like "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" by Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer.
8. CooCool (Róisín Murphy) - Quirky Irish singer serves up some newfangled soul. Imagine if an AI program tried to re-create Dusty Springfield and you get the idea!
9. Thought U Knew (Leela James) - The latest from R&B powerhouse. I will follow Leela anywhere.
10. Tonight (Superlover) - Upbeat jazz funk from Berlin-based DJ.
11. Attendance Record (Sadie Leigh) - Slinky vocals over jazzy beats that bring Macy Gray to mind.
12. Going to Town (Rufus Wainwright feat. Anohni) - Another delicious collaboration from Rufus's great "Folkocracy" album!
13. Sound and Fury (Margo Cilker) - This was on NPR's "Best of 2023" list, and I immediately downloaded it! Great traditional folk performance from up-and-coming Californian.
14. Spit You Out (Isla June) - Powerful rock anthem from L.A. Indie artist.
15. Bloom (Aidan Bissett) - Pop rock with soaring vocals that would make Tal Bachman proud!
16. Sex and Money (Lydia Loveless) - Ambitious alt-country from Ohio singer/songwriter.
17. Bougainvillea (Nymphlord) - Nymphlord is the stage name of Tia Rabinovitz. I wasn't able to find out too much about her, but I love her retro-90s garage band vibe!
18. She's On My Mind (Romy) - Former lead singer of the XX ("Crystallized") goes solo, and leans into the effervescent 1970s disco sound with glorious results!
19. Danger (the Star Sisters) - This song is from 1985 but I only discovered it recently. It should've been a bigger hit, IMHO, but I guess they got lost in the shuffle between Exposé and Taylor Dayne and every other 1980s dance-pop female act. I'll be adding them to my 80s playlists moving forward - better late than never!
20. Crashland (Maris) - Speaking of 1980s dance-pop, Maris is definitely channeling that energy and I'm here for it!
So that's our first playlist for the New Year! Hope everyone has a safe and happy month and I'll see you in February!
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